An Unexpected Twist
by Dragen Eyez
Summary: Jane isn't sure entirely what possessed her to help an evil god who did a number on New York when he appears in her desert but now she's not quite so sure he is as evil as he claims. The more she learns the more worried about Thanos she becomes. Set post-Avengers. Rated M for future chapters. Lokane.
1. Chapter 1

Well... I didn't think I would write anymore fan fiction and then an Idea happened. And the Idea wouldn't sleep, instead it grew. So, I hope you guys enjoy this; it is a new genre for me but one that I have grown to love quite quickly. I'm hoping to update about every other week. I would like to promise sooner but I'm also working on original fiction and the deal I made with myself is that I absolutely must work on the original fiction before I work on this on any given day. Consequently I have been doing a lot more writing lately.

Disclaimer: I don't own Thor (the movie) or Thor the god. Or Loki. I do own a fat cat though. Nor am I making any money from this. And this disclaimer applies to all chapters for this story in the event I forget to put a disclaimer in a future chapter.

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An Unexpected Twist

**Chapter One**

Jane took a sip of coffee and nearly spit it right back out. It was cold and tasted old. If that didn't tell Jane that she had been working too long the ache in her shoulders certainly did. She sighed and pushed her chair away from her desk, leaning back and stretching her arms over her head.

Really, Jane couldn't even call what she'd been doing working. Mostly, she had sat and stared at her notebook or played minesweeper. She had without a doubt proved that Einstein-Rosen bridges were real. The Asgardian visitor, Thor-how she hated to think that named, had been quite helpful in that regard. The problem that faced her now was how to create such a thing. It was quite unlikely that her otherworldly visitor would be back to help her, though she couldn't begrudge him fighting off an even more alien army and saving the world from his brother's crazed plot. Another serious setback in her research was the absolute lack of energy storms since Thor had left Earth the first time. How he had returned remained a mystery to her, she could find no evidence of an energy signature left by such a storm. It was maddeningly infuriating.

One of her rather dusty machines hummed to life and began printing off a sheet of data. Jane forgot that she was tired, that it was probably long past bedtime. Her hands seized the first sheet of data to print out in months and stared at it before rapidly firing up several other instruments, staring in wonder. There was definitely something strange going on out in her desert, exactly where the Asgardian had first landed.

The problem was that it was nothing like the energy storms that had brought him or taken him away. Jane ran to her car and hit the pedal as fast as she could manage before she began careening through the desert. Her instruments could record the data on their own; she had to see what was going on.

Dust was swirling up and around in a strange dome crackling with energy that would encompass her lab building, RV, and quite possibly her van. Iwas so unlike the energy storm that had brought _him_ that Jane was dumbfounded. This time, however, Jane parked her car outside of the phenomenon. She was not about to hit anyone from another world with her car again. Instead, Jane focused on taking pictures and a video of the dome. There was a chance she could learn even more if she could go inside the dome but without her van to protect her the pulsing veins of light were not especially reassuring.

But she did have a camcorder, and it was wrapped in a durable, shatter-proof case that promised to save it from being broken. Jane hopped out of the van and slammed the door shut. After a whispered prayer, she threw it into the dome and winced, trying to listen for a shatter, but she could hear nothing except the roaring wind and electric crackles. Jane considered the dome for awhile before climbing back into the van to watch the storm, wondering how long it would take for it to dissipate so she could investigate. She settled down into her seat and took notes. One could never have too much data, especially about something as unusual as this. Anything that might give her a clue as to what was going on.

About half an hour later the storm ended abruptly, leaving Jane to finish up her sentence in a hurry before staring at the empty space as the dust settled. Cautiously, she made her way towards the dome on foot, inching towards the border of where the dome had been; it was distinct because a fair amount of dust had abruptly fallen when the dome collapsed, leaving a slightly raised platform. Even more cautiously, Jane stuck her hand into the space the dome had been. It felt no different from the outside so she stepped all the way in, bracing herself.

Nothing happened, which was reassuring for her career as an astrophysicist.

There was something in the center of the circle, long and dark and narrow. It was about the size of a person, actually. She ran towards the shape, biting her lip. This time it was not her fault if there was an unconscious person in the middle of the desert.

It was definitely a man, covered with quite a bit of dust. His breathing was audible, uneven and rasping. Slowly, as if it hurt, he wiped a hand across his face, brushing away a good portion of dirt and revealing an angular, pale face set against dark hair. Thin lips were pressed tight together, eyes screwed shut.

"Are you okay? Where are you from? What world, er, realm?" Jane was positive he was not from Earth. Was it another means of Asgardian travel? Or another world entirely? Jane wasn't quite willing to believe that her luck could be that good, not after _he_ shot down from the heavens the first time.

Only he wasn't wiping away dirt. He was prodding the left corner of his forehead where a knot was rapidly forming. "No way," Jane muttered; her camcorder was all of two feet from his head. "Please tell me I didn't hit you. I did, didn't I? I must be the worst person for people from other realms to meet ever. We're not all like me, I promise. I really don't throw things at-"

"Still your tongue woman, haven't you done enough for my headache already?" He spoke English, albeit in a harsh, clipped tone that seemed to melt with his disdain for her. He opened his eyes and met her gaze, or attempted to. His emerald orbs wandered just the tiniest bit, never quite focusing.

"I think I gave you a concussion." Nothing made her want to bite her nails more and she had squashed that habit years ago.

"I think you made my previous concussion worse."

"I am so sorry. I just wanted to record the event and it looked too dangerous to go inside so I just sort of threw the camcorder in to try to-"

"Do you always prattle on like this?" He covered his eyes with his left hand.

Jane's mouth opened and closed several times before she could figure out what to do. She was pretty sure he was not getting up because he was hurt, probably a lot worse than his voice made him out to be, going by his breathing. She stared at him, trying to see past the armor and figure out what all was wrong with him. There really was something familiar about that angular face and narrow mouth, and his eyes were positively haunting.

She backed away so quickly that she fell onto her butt, making her emit a high-pitched yelp. "You're Loki."

"I was wondering when you would figure it out. I thought you were supposed to be smart. Then again I'm not sure smart for a mortal amounts to much."

"You can't be. Thor and the Avengers captured you. You went back to Asgard with him. You did horrible things. You're a horrible person. You tried to kill your own brother, not to mention-"

"I thought I told you to stop prattling on and on," Loki growled and let his hand fall to glare at her.

"No, you asked if I ever stopped prattling, not that I should stop."

"Shouldn't you be calling SHIELD to come dispose of me by now?"

"Shouldn't you be trying to kill me by now?"

Loki's hand fall across his eyes once more. "I can't even sit up. How do you propose I kill you? At this point, I'm open to any idea that lessens my headache."

Jane drew up her legs close to her chest. "You're really not what I was expecting. You seemed more crazy-psycho on TV."

"I was. I am. I certainly wouldn't trust me. So go on, call your Earth realm protectors. You would do us all a favor."

"Evil villains aren't supposed to try to get the good guys to catch them. Which means it must be some sort of trap, or something." Jane said.

"There's food for thought," Loki said. "I might as well try something different while I can. Obviously, I don't have an army this time either. I'd be easy pickings."

"Why are you here? Did you do something to.. to Asgard?"

"I was imprisoned by Asgardian means and my.. Thor used the Tesseract to return us to Asgard so that I could be imprisoned or killed or whatever little bit of heavenly torture Odin devised. Truly, I do not know how I came to be here. By a painful means, that much is obvious."

"Why did you agree that you're a crazy-psycho?"

He lifted his hand just enough to give her an incredulous look.

"Okay, fair point, but usually crazy people don't know that they're crazy."

"Quite the conundrum," he said. "Jane Foster, you really should get on with making up your mind about what to do with me. Your teeth are starting to chatter.. and I am in a great deal of pain and would greatly prefer to end this.. strangeness."

"You know my name. That's kind of creepy."

"I saw through the eyes of the Destroyer," he said, he almost sounded bored.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Are you sure... you're not the.. mentally unstable one?" Loki's voice was harsh, but his eyes held no sting. She just stared at him until he spoke again. "You wouldn't believe me.. even if I could tell you."

"Good grief. How hard is it to come up with daddy issues or something? You make it sound like you're under a spell like in fairytales."

Loki stared at her, mouth parted in surprise.

"You have got to be kidding me. Are you serious?"

A grimace twisted his features into an ugly mask. "How dare you accuse me, a prince of Asgard-a god to you mortals. I am a master of magic, and you are a wretched, stupid little mortal. You will bow before-" He choked abruptly, looking decidedly worse and maybe a little green. It was hard to tell with so little light. Then, he breathed out in the barest of whispers, "I'm going to be sick."

That was how Jane found herself holding up an evil god while he coughed up some sort of vile liquid that looked disturbingly like it had blood in it. His entire body shook and his breath caught and gasped. It was really a very good thing that Erik was off in some sort of remote, far away laboratory helping SHIELD and that Darcy had returned to school. She had no idea how to explain any of this., but she was fairly certain that Loki could very well be under a spell, and she also thought that it was very weak now. It did not hurt that she was pretty sure he really was a master of magic. The things he could know, the knowledge he could share with her.

"So, I'm going to set you down here and bring my van closer. Then, I'm going to load you up and take you home with me. You seriously need some medical help, but I'm pretty sure hospitals are out. I do have a first aid kit though."

With that, she left a bewildered looking Asgardian half-sitting in the dirt. By some miracle, she managed not to hit him with her van as she backed it up as close to him as she dared. Really, she thought he was being extraordinarily cooperative as they struggled to get him into the back. Jane was sure he had at least cracked some ribs and he had nearly collapsed with he tried to put weight on his right left while his left did not seem all that steady either.

"I'm sorry that this is going to be so bumpy, but I don't think I could get you up into the front seat, and I really doubt it'd be much better."

He offered her the barest of smiles and closed his eyes, leaning against one wall.

Jane closed the door. "This is such a bad idea. This is worse than my idea to help _him _steal a hammer from SHIELD. I can't believe I'm doing this." Jane climbed into the driver's seat and drove home as carefully as she could, but she never heard a sound from her passenger in the back. Her thoughts were a horrible swirl of why her current adventure was such a disastrous idea and whether she would end up dead before morning. The part that disturbed her the most was that she was still bringing him to her home. To her new rented house, actually. It was a vast improvement on the RV, it was an advantage of SHIELD contributing to her funding on the odd occasion.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm glad I was able to get this chapter posted exactly on time. I was afraid I was going to be late; I've had a very busy week. My last final was monday so I studied most of last week, my grandparents came to town, I had graduation rehearsal, graduation for my second degree, a party, lots of family time... But still, Loki kept insisting on getting some of his own spotlight. So much so that this chapter ended up being over 3000 words and chapter three is 2300 words in. You might get an elusive early update. Depending on many factors.

Disclaimer: I cannot claim to own Thor franchise, etc.

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Chapter Two

Jane was half convinced that there would be no one in the rear of her van when she went around back to open it up. She was not sure if she was relieved or not that Loki was not a hallucination when she saw his frame slumped against the wall. "Loki? We're here."

He did not respond; Jane stepped closer. His lids were closed and his head listed uncomfortably to the side. "Oh shit. Please don't be in a coma or something." Gently, she shook the shoulder nearest her.

Loki let out a hiss, clenching his jaw tight. His eyes snapped open to glare at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you! You weren't waking up and we're home now. There's no way I can get you inside by myself."

Loki heaved himself up with his left arm so that he was sitting fully upright, slowly drawing his right arm close to chest. Then he paused for a moment and took a deep breath through his nose. He used his left hand to move his right leg over the edge of the van, then braced himself with his left arm as he slid his left leg to join the right. It took him several attempts to scoot all the way to the edge and his breathing was fast and very shallow.

He probably needed a minute to recover just from that. Jane doubted he would admit to that; she decided to buy a little time. "Okay, so we have to go across the walkway and then the tricky part will be the three steps. I think if I go up the step first then you can kind of use me as a crutch. There's another step up through the door. But the couch is just to the right. There's a short one really near the door and a longer one a bit further. After the living room, there's a bathroom where we can get you cleaned up.

"I wonder if the small couch is best. Then, I can bring one of the plastic patio chairs inside and stick it in the tub because there's no way you could stand up for a shower and I'm not sure how well a bath would work. Especially since, well, you're really dirty.

"Right across from the bathroom is the guest bedroom. You can sleep there. You're really lucky I got some better funding, you know. A lot better. I'm renting this place, but before this I was living in an RV on the same land my lab is in. I did like being so close to it, but I guess I can't really complain since this place is almost next door neighbors to it."

Loki stared at her, one eyebrow raised. His breathing, however, had slowed. After a long moment, Jane wondered if he waited to see if she would keep on talking or not, Loki took a deep breath and slowly slid down from the van and stood, stooped, left arm still supporting some of his weight. Jane really hoped nothing was broken in his right leg. She hurried to his left side and wrapped her arm around his waist. He brought his left arm up around her shoulders, his hand tightly wrapped around her right shoulder.

After three steps, Jane decided Loki was must heavier than he looked. It took another forty painstakingly slow, tiny steps to make it to the steps. Jane was breathing hard and Loki was ashen. For a moment, on the third step, Jane's grip on Loki shifted and he let out a soft, breathless moan and wavered for a moment, making her afraid he was going to collapse. Then eight more steps brought them inside. A glance up at Loki revealed an extremely stony, set look of determination to his face. Twelve more steps brought Loki to the sofa. He fairly collapsed onto it, and Jane nearly went with him since she had been supporting him so much. He was shaking and his breathing ragged.

"Loki," Jane said and waited for his eyes to drift open, look up at her, focus. "Will you be okay alone for a minute or two? I have to go get the bathroom chair and start up some coffee and get some water for you. And maybe a toothbrush, I'm sure your mouth has to taste awful."

He inclined his head slightly, eyes sliding closed, though he remained sitting oddly upright.

Jane went about her tasks quickly, beginning with the coffee pot. Next was the impromptu shower chair followed by grabbing her extra toothbrush (thank god for value two packs) and loaded it with toothpaste and grabbed the mouthwash for good measure. Then she got a glass of water and an extra empty glass and brought the three items to the living room and set them on the coffee table and drew the coffee table close to Loki.

"Okay, what do you want first?"

He opened his eyes slowly. "Water, and the empty cup."

She handed the water to him. He swirled a mouthful of water around, taking the water glass from him, replacing it with the cup. Neatly, he spit it out into the cup; Jane was suddenly glad the cup was opaque as she took it away from him. He held his hand out for the toothbrush. Then it was the water and cup again. Finally, he rinsed with the mouthwash, surprising Jane when he not only asked for it by name but knew how to use it. _He _had not known all that much about Earth, or Midgard as Asgard knew it as.

"Thank you," he said softly; it didn't sound like words that graced his lips often.

"You're welcome. I know it sucks to get sick. Do you want to try to get some of your injuries cleaned up and wrapped up tonight or have you about had it? You can sleep on the sofa if you want to."

Loki's mouth twisted into a dark shadow of a smile for a moment. "As much as I would like to never move again, I do not wish to bleed on your sofa."

"You're bleeding?"Jane hated how her voice rose.

Loki turned his right hand away from his chest. It was stained red though his hand did not appear to have an injury. "It would seem so."

"Right, okay, well, whenever you're ready. At least there are no more stairs."

"Good," he said. "Give me your arm."

Jane did, bracing herself as he used her to help himself stand. By the time Jane got him into the bathroom her muscles were screaming and Loki swayed where he stood, his grip on Jane so tight it was a little uncomfortable. Jane got him into the tub and onto the plastic chair by a miracle and sheer stubbornness. Loki's dependence on her right now was almost as scary as her bringing him here.

"How do we get your armor off?"

"The hard way..."

"The hard way?"

"Manually," he said, "Bracers first, then this god forsaken strap across my shoulder. Then the coat, which will allow you access to the leather piece over the breastplate. That will be an adventure. There are straps on my sides."

Neither of them mentioned how many breaths Loki had to take to say a handful of sentences, nor how breathless he sounded by the end. It did, however, make Jane terrified to touch his clothing, especially now that she knew blood was involved.

Loki turned his hands palm up, settled lightly on his thighs, revealing the straps. Jane wondered why he seemed so calm with not being able to do this himself. Was he that used to being pampered as a prince, or was he beyond caring? She undid the two leather straps on each bracer and pulled them off and set them down on the tile floor. Loki unbuckled the strap at his waist and pushed it aside.

Jane helped him shrug the coat off his left shoulder before stepping into the tub to very slowly peel the coat off his right shoulder and arm. He was sitting on the coattails; for the moment she draped it over the back of the chair as he blew out a shaky breath.

"Okay, so the tunic thing has ties along your sides?" Jane stared at the complicated leather dubiously.

"It's made of a single long cord on each side," he said, beginning to look ashy again. "You'll have to pull the cords out entirely."

Jane was fairly certain the armor was meant to stay together, but she was glad they wouldn't have to wrestle him out of the leather and bend his arms every which way. He held his left arm away from his side as she worked on the cord which reminded her a bit of a corset; it ran from under his arm down to his waist. It took a fair amount of pulling to get it out. The right side was far trickier; Loki could not hold his arm out and Jane had a limited space to work in since he was so close to the shower wall. Loki let out a low hiss when she worked at the strings along his ribs; by the end of her task his face was devoid of color, his eyes screwed shut.

"Okay, my fingers need a break before I try to lift that thing off of you,"Jane said and sat on the edge of the tub. "Do you want any water? I'm not sure food is a good idea right now... I do have some chicken broth though."

"No," his voice was barely loud enough to hear.

"I forgot towels. And the first aid kit. I'll be right back," Jane said. All of which was true, but Jane really hoped he would regain at least a little color. It would be a disaster if he passed out in the bath tub.

Loki said nothing, so she retrieved the first aid kit from a kitchen cabinet and then a huge pile of towels. She wondered whether it was a good or a bad thing they were white. They bleached well, but Jane had a feeling blood would be a lot harder to get out. Both items went onto the bathroom sink.

Jane peered down at Loki. His color looked a little better. "Ready?"

"Just get it over with."

"Oh crap. You're sitting on part of it."

Jane was certain his eye twitched then. "I refuse to stand more than once. Remove my boots."

She did as she was told, her eyes wide. Did Asgardians wear underwear? She really hoped they did. This could get awkward very quickly. Maybe she could wrap a towel around his waist. All the movement would jostle the towel though. She could pin it, there was even a safety pin in the bathroom. But then how would he get his underwear off. Jane knew her face had to be beet red and she looked everywhere but at him, "Okay, so, um, do you have anything on under your pants? I mean, I have a towel, we can wrap it around your waist and pin it so it won't come off, but if there's something else..."

"No," he said, his voice lilting in such a strange way that she looked up for a moment. That was a mistake; his smirk grew.

Loki, the god of mischief, went commando. That actually kind of made sense, though it did not really match with his high-collared shirt. Jane gulped and focused on getting a towel on him; the widest one she could find. Loki kept smirking.

"Ready to stand up?"

At least that made his smirk vanish. She helped him pull himself upright and he balanced uneasily while she moved his coat, surprised at how very heavy it was; it had to be reinforced with metal in a lot of places, especially given that it kept its form surprisingly well for being thrown on the floor. Next, Jane stood on the edge of the tub; Loki was much, much taller than she was, and pulled the leather tunic over his head; it joined the coat on the floor with a thud. Just how heavy were Asgardian clothes? Then again, they were armor. Jane hopped down from the side and gulped. She took a moment to make sure the towel would cover everything and then she pulled his pants down and helped Loki sit back down.

Jane did not know whether to laugh or cry; it was a ridiculous sight to behold and entirely nerve-wracking. So Jane focused on pulling his pants off, followed by his socks, glad the pants were loose enough to go over his swollen right ankle. The left looked a little swollen too, though it lacked the deep coloration of the right. It was Loki's right knee that was the worst though. It was bruised and scraped so raw in places that blood had dripped down his calf and probably all over his sock. Jane had touched his sock. Ew.

Loki looked down at his knee with some interest. "Ouch."

"Big ouch."

Loki shrugged his left shoulder, perhaps conceding to her view.

"So, that breastplate..."

"Buckles in back."

"Armor has some common sense built in, doesn't it? I mean, this stuff all comes apart pretty easily."

"It does has to come off of injured warriors."

The breastplate came off easily once the straps in back were undone; up and over his head without him moving his arms at all. "How do you even put this all on?"

"Magic, or help."

Jane stared at his long-sleeved, high-necked black shirt. "I hate to ask but would it be the worst thing in the world to cut that off?"

Loki stared at her a long moment. "That would make this much easier. Yes."

Jane was pretty sure the thought had not occurred to him at all. He looked relieved. She went down the hall and tot he kitchen to get the scissors and carefully cut up the arms and up to the collar. After that, Jane haphazardly cut up through the middle of the shirt and to each arm. Jane peeled the shirt away slowly; it stuck lightly to his right side. Underneath the shirt, Loki had a small gash on the far side of his back; it was steadily staining the towel red.

"How did you get that?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. I don't think it is as bad as it looks," Loki said, almost reassuringly and surveyed the pile on the floor. "That wasn't as bad as I thought."

"So, let's get you cleaned up,"Jane said, proud of how steady her voice was. Loki's body looked horrible and Jane was out of her element. It scared her.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking again. "Do it all."

Jane nodded; it looked like simply sitting there was almost beyond him, much less helping her. Loki watched her as she turned on the tub faucet and tested the water before she turned the shower head on, making sure the head was facing the wall so it wouldn't spray them both. By some miracle, the previous owner had decided to install hand held shower heads in both bathrooms that had to brackets to hold the head in; one for showers and one for use in the tub. It took her a moment to figure out how to set the shower head into the lower bracket; she had never taken a bath in her new home.

"So I guess we'll go top to bottom. I'm sorry that I only have girly smelling things. At least lavender isn't too flowery though, right?"

"Preferable to blood and sweat,"Loki commented.

"Okay, tip your head back, I'm going to rinse your hair and then shampoo it up. I think I'd better use conditioner too, it's pretty long.."

Loki did as she asked, but he winced when she began running the water through his hair.

"Are you okay?"

"There's a cut somewhere," he said. "And be careful where you _threw something at me_."

"I said I was sorry!" Jane said, pouring shampoo into her hand very liberally. She worked it through as gently as she could, but Loki's face tightened several times though he made no sound. After rinsing all the soap out she ran conditioner up through the ends of his hair and wet a washcloth and lathering it up with lavender body wash. After half a moment, Jane realized how intimate washing someone elses face felt, especially when Loki shut his eyes to avoid soap getting in them. Jane finished quickly, warning him before she rinsed the conditioner out and his face clean.

At that point, he raised his left hand to wipe away the water from his eyes. Jane cleaned his arms next, but when she got to his chest she noticed that beneath the grime he was well-muscled. Not the large, bulky muscles _he_ had, but lean muscle that reminded her of martial artists and she wondered if Loki would be faster than _him_.

Jane glanced up from her ministrations for a moment. Loki was smirking. He had seen her staring. It made her hurry her task without thinking, which elicited a low, shuddering groan; she had pressed right into the massive bruise on his left side. It made her pay close attention to the rest of the work. Still, by the time she finished, Loki was ashen again.

"If you want to wash under the towel you can do that yourself,"Jane finally said.

Loki nodded. "I'll stand. Then you may turn around."

They got him standing and Jane handed him a fresh washcloth with soap. Almost as soon as she turned she heard the wet towel hit the floor of the tub. He was _naked_ five feet from her. Unbidden, the thought of sneaking a peak flooded her mind. She did not, instead she unfolded a towel. Good girls should not think about wanting to see evil "gods" naked. They should not think such men are attractive to start with, even if his chest had been firm and smooth beneath the washcloth.

"Towel," Loki said, sounding strained. Jane held it behind her without turning. Loki took it. After a moment, he said, "Alright, come be my crutch."

She did so; the hand Loki held onto her with trembled. He needed rest badly, and she wished she could give it to him now. Instead, she toweled his hair off and roughly dried him off. His back was still bleeding though, and his knee oozed a little. They had to be addressed before they could get him to bed.

The first aid kit yielded gauze, tape, and antibacterial ointment enough to cover the worst of his wounds, including a gash across his right forearm. Next she wrapped a narrow ace bandage around his right ankle, a medium one across his knee, and then she tackled his chest and right shoulder with two wide wraps. By the time she finished he looked a bit like a mummy, which made her smile a little.

He leveled a glare at her, though it did not have any bite.

"Are you ready to try getting to the spare room?"

"How far is it?"

"About half the distance it was from here to the couch. It's through the door across from here."

He nodded and they began the long process of walking him to the guest bedroom. At the last second, she remembered to pull back the covers. He sank onto the bed so quickly Jane wondered if his leg hadn't given out on him. He was still only in a towel.

"So, um, the only clothes I have for men are, well, more Thor's size, but that'll be okay to sleep in, right? Also, do you want any broth? Water?"

"Leave the clothes on the nightstand. Just water. I want to sleep."

By the time Jane returned with sweatpants, a T-shirt, and a glass of water, Loki was asleep beneath the covers, the towel discarded on the ground.

Jane ignored the mess in the spare bathroom and showered in her bathroom before climbing into bed. Her last thought was that Loki was sleeping naked.

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I apologize for any typos. I really ought to get a beta. I'm not entirely sure how to go about getting one though. So how was it? Reviews are happy things that can lead to faster updates. I forgot how much I enjoy writing for an audience.


	3. Chapter 3

Every other Sunday updates are working out pretty well for me, but I'm hoping after chapter four that I can change to weekly updates. Next Tuesday I have the most important test of all of my schooling, and preparing for it has had me very busy. Provided I pass, I will receive my license to be an registered nuse. I'm pretty excited and a lot nervous! Anyway, onto the story.

Disclaimer: Don't own Loki, Jane, Thor, etc.

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Chapter Three

Jane slept late; it was a little after noon when she sat up in bed, rubbing the grit from her eyes. She yawned. Maybe today she would try to tune up her particle accelerator; it had never worked quite right since SHIELD had confiscated it and returned it. Jane slid out of bed and into soft, fluffy blue slippers and went to clean herself up for the morning. As soon as she put toothpaste on the toothbrush she remembered she had the world's most wanted criminal in her guest room.

Despite that, or maybe because of that, Jane still went through her morning routine, complete with a shower. Then she put on jeans and a T-shirt and walked out into the hall, still wearing her slippers. The guest room was cracked open the same way she always left it. If she was lucky, last night would have been a very realistic dream. A hasty glance across the hall confirmed it was not; the armor was still there in a heap.

Jane took a deep breath and knocked on the guest room door. No answer; she peered inside the dim room. Loki was lying so still that Jane had to watch his chest for several long moments to make sure he was breathing. She did not awaken him; with his injuries rest was not only needed to heal but probably a relief from the pain. His glass from the night before was untouched. She went to the kitchen to get a fresh glass of water for him and replaced the old glass.

Having an unconscious god in the guest room made the day pass very slowly. Some parts were routine, like making coffee, but even then her eyes drifted to the clock, wondering if it was time to check on Loki yet. Once, she snuck into his room to tuck the armor away into the bureau. She decided to check every two hours and if by evening he had not awoken she would wake him up and pray he was not comatose.

That meant that once Jane finished her dinner she heated up broth in an oversized coffee cup and knocked on Loki's door again. He did not answer, but this time she entered the room, flicked on the overhead light and set the bowl down on the bedside table. Gently, she shook his shoulder, "Loki?"

In less time than she could begin to process, Jane was pinned on the bed the weight of his hand pressed tight around her neck. She could barely let out a gasp. Jane's eyes darting between wild emerald eyes and his other hand, strangely poised. To throw _magic_ at her, she realized.

The weight lifted an instant later; Loki lifted away and collapsed back onto the bed, gasping, arms clutching his sides, blanket tangled low on his hips.

Jane stayed where she was for a long moment, and when she finally did move it was with exaggerated slowness. She stood and took several steps away from the bed as Loki fought to control his uneven breathing. Only now did she recall reading an article about soldiers having horrible reactions like this after coming back from war. Her neck hurt, but she did not want to rub it in front of him.

"I apologize for my actions, Jane Foster" Loki finally said, softly, still a little breathless. He did not look at her. "That was... I did not intend you harm."

"Is it because you're a warrior?"

"Yes."

"Is it okay if I come closer now?"

Loki looked at her then, turning his head to the side. "Yes. It will not happen when I am awake."

She sat on the edge of the bed, her left knee on the mattress. "I should have been more careful. I've read about stuff like that."

"It is a trained response... It is usually only present on the battlefield." He was looking away again.

"But you're hurt, you don't know me, you're in a strange place..."

He nodded.

Jane realized his hands still clutched his sides. "But are you okay? That was a lot of movement for someone so banged up."

"I believe I will survive," a faint smile graced his lips for a moment, but it was twisted, dark. "Did I injure you?"

"No, I'm fine. I really wouldn't know what to do with you if you didn't survive, you know," she said, carefully keeping her voice light, airy.

"What you probably should have done to start with," Loki's tone was much more serious. "Contact SHIELD."

"If I did what I should do I would be married to a doctor and live in a mansion on the beach in California and teach physics 101, probably," Jane said. "That wouldn't be any good at all. I don't like doing what I should."

"I can understand the sentiment," Loki conceded. For a moment, Jane thought he was going to speak again, but closed his mouth instead.

Her neck hurt as the silence lengthened, but still she refrained from acknowledging it, choosing action instead. "So do you feel up to having some food?"

"Not especially."

"What about broth?"

"You're going to pester me until I do, won't you?" He stared at her for a moment. "Very well then."

He would not let her help him sit up, though she did create a pile of pillows for him to lean against. Loki still favored his right arm, but he wrapped his left hand around the mug she handed him and sipped at it. He made a face in distaste, but he took another sip. "I would like to clean up after this."

There was enough question in his voice to give her the option to refuse. "Okay, I think we can do that. Do you know if pain medicine would work for you the same way as it would for me?"

"Thank you." He paused to consider, taking several more sips. "No, I don't believe so. Asgardians metabolize things differently."

His last statement made the scientist in her lean forward in interest. "How similar are Asgardians to humans? I mean you _look_ human. Apart from the things you wear, anyway."

"It was once very common to have relations with Asgardians and humans. There were a large number of mortals born from such unions, I believe."

"How is that possible? I share ninety-nine percent of my genetic makeup with chimpanzees. It shouldn't even be possible for you to look like us. Or vice versa."

Loki gave her a soft, genuine smile. "I will tell you what I know, but not today. You are a scientist, yes? I am sure it will be a long conversation."

The scientist in her was fairly leaping for joy. "I'm an astrophysicist. Genetics isn't my specialty but..."

"Scientists are question-askers by nature. Any scientist of any worth is very curious," Loki said.

"I get the feeling you know a lot more about these topics than Thor did." It hurt to say that name.

"I should hope so. I am the reason he passed any of his courses except weaponry and the like," Loki said, staring into the cup a long moment. Abruptly, he took a long sip. "I am a master of magic. That requires one to be an apt scholar."

A thousand questions bloomed in Jane's mind. "It is so hard not to ask."

He smiled the same faint smile again. "I am done."

"Ready to get up?"

"No, but I will," he said. He paused. "Perhaps you would hand me those pants."

Jane must have colored brilliantly because he smirked widely. "S-sure!"

She fairly thrust the sweat pants on the bedside table at him. "Call me when you're ready. I'll be out in the hall."

"What, you don't want to help me dress?"

Jane marched out of the room. She could feel him smirking. She had a terrible feeling it was an all too common expression with him and that he could live up to his name as a mischief god all too easily.

Jane was nearly ready to knock and ask if he really did need help when he called her back. She entered; he was sitting, legs over the edge of the bed. Thankfully, the sweats were covering his lower half. They were very baggy, which worried Jane. His shirt was discarded on the bed. Jane could have smacked her forehead. He had probably taken one look at it and deemed it impossible. At least the ace wraps covered most of his chest.

Her muscles protested as she helped him up and shouldered some of his weight thanking the cosmos that he was far less bulky than his brother. Tentatively, Loki put weight onto his right leg; he breathed in sharply and reverted to using Jane as a crutch. Once he could grab onto the bathroom sink he waved Jane out.

While she waited she sat on the couch in the living room and tried to read through a National Geographic article. Something factual, tied to the Earth, was almost soothing, and much less complicated than housing an interworld criminal. Her concentration was lacking as she waited for him to call. Jane got up to get a fresh, full glass of water for his room, and reread the third page for the fourth time. She wished she could come up with something else to do to keep herself busy but near enough to the bathroom door that she could hear him.

At the top of the fourth page, she heard him call. He was leaning against the frame of the door, his hair damp near his face. "Want to head back to your room?"

He nodded. Jane had not really needed to ask. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was pale again. They had become better at their strange walk, however, and it was a little easier to treck back. She told him to call for her if he needed anything. He was asleep before she left the room.

JLJLJLJLJL

The next morning, Jane awoke to the sound of her name and opened her eyes blearily. It was too early to do anything. "Jane Foster, how deeply do you sleep? You're like the dead. Wake up, Jane."

She groaned, glanced at her clock, and groaned again. It was only seven; she had been up until three. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Hold your horses."

Jane refused to do anything this early without brushing her teeth. While she was at it, she washed her face too. It served him right to have to wait for waking her up so early. Still, she did not want to leave him waiting too long. Jane did not think he would be calling so incessantly if he did not need to. She changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a T-shirt, slapped her hair into a ponytail without brushing it and entered his room.

"You do not wake easily," Loki commented, sitting upright on the side of the bed.

"It's only seven in the morning."

"You are not a morning person," he said mildly. "Help me up to the washroom."

Well, that explained it. Especially with the empty water glass. Today, he did take some of his weight on his right leg and Jane was more than a little relieved, though he did have to pause once to catch his breath when he tried to walk nearly unsupported, reverting back to giving most of his weight to Jane. If this kept up she was going to develop some muscle. She left him to his own devices once the bathroom door shut and started a pot of coffee.

When Jane collected him from the bathroom, he directed them to the living room where she settled him onto the long couch, propping his right leg up with pillows. He seemed content to have her fussing over him, which irritated Jane.

"Good enough, your highness? Or must I fluff the pillow again before I can have my coffee?"

Loki arched up an eyebrow, watching her for a long moment. "By all means, have your coffee. I would enjoy a cup as well, with cream."

Jane stalked to the kitchen and poured her cup. Halfway through, her anger melted away and she felt far more functional and socially acceptable. Jane refilled her mug, a second for Loki, and a box of pop-tarts.

She handed Loki his cup and a pop-tart package before sitting on the sofa.

Loki stared at the package.

"It's a pop-tart. Open the package and eat the sugary goodness inside."

Jane watched him shake his head at the package and open it. He took a sip of coffee before he broke off a corner and delicately popped it into his mouth. Loki followed it very quickly with coffee.

"That is horrible. You eat those regularly?"

"They're amazing. They're fast. I don't really have anything else for breakfast right now. Sorry."

Loki sighed and ate another piece. "At least it's not porridge. I loathe porridge."

"Me too. Or at least oatmeal, which is basically the same. It's all gooey."

It was strange, having a civil breakfast with Loki. Jane chewed on a bite of pop-tart. She was not sure how he did not like them. They were a mainstay of Jane's morning meals. He picked at the food, swallowing each bite quickly, followed more often than not by a sip of coffee. Then he leaned over with a wince and picked up the tv remote and surveyed it. Jane opened her mouth to tell him what it was, what it did; _he_ had not had the slightest clue what a television was, much less how to use one.

Loki turned it on and paged through the TV guide. He settled on a show about sharks.

Jane gawped. "How do you know how to use a TV?"

"What?" Loki raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not unfamiliar with Midgard. I have kept up with this world better than most others. I take it your last Asgaradian guest could not fathom a television?"

"He didn't even know what coffee was."

"I am a much more curious sort," Loki said.

"Me too," Jane said. "It's why I'm a scientist."

"Yes, I imagine so. You seek to understand the universe."

"Just a small portion. I dream of seeing beyond the stars. I want to see Asgard, and other realms. Now that I know they exist it just makes me want to make my theory reality."

Loki smiled faintly, but it did not touch his eyes. "I have seen many realms in my years. There is much to learn; it is impossible to learn it all."

"But that's what makes it so wonderful. There are always more questions to ask."

"Wonderful as that may be, sometimes they come with a price."

Loki looked dark and fierce; a being untouchable by someone like her. It made her fall silent.

He did not speak again for the duration of the show, though he did finish the food and drink. When the next show ended Jane realized her guest was asleep, coffee cup still wrapped between his hands, long fingers interlocked. Sleep softened his features, making him look more gentle. Jane wondered how many questions he had asked, what answers he had paid for over the many years of his life. What had made him become who he was now, wanted for crimes against realms.

* * *

Well, what'd you think? I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review, let me know what you thought!


	4. Chapter 4

I apologize that this chapter was a little late, but to make up for it this chapter is extra long. In fact, it's about 2000 words longer than most of the chapters, which is almost double the length.

I'm back in town now and life is significantly less crazy now, and my grandparents are both recovering from their illness well now. I feel much, much less stressed out, it's almost a weird feeling at this point in my life. So is the concept of free time.

Disclaimer: Much as I'd like to I don't own Loki, or Thor, or Thor related things. I just own some ideas, which are purely for fun and no profit

* * *

Chapter Four

Loki had been silent for the rest of the day. He had slept on the couch until dinner time. Jane had given him canned soup which he ate without a word. His only expression had been the faint grimace when he had tasted the soup. Jane knew she should not have played into it, but she did. She asked him if he wanted to use the washroom before bed, had waited for him to appear in the door way to take him to his room.

Why she was helping him, feeding into his silent mood she did not know, but there was something so oppressive about his mood that it made her reluctant to talk, much less demand he do so. There was something desolate in his expression that reminded her of people who had lost everything to a horrific tragedy.

Jane realized that probably he had. He forsook his family for a plot gone horribly wrong. Was this what happened when the super hero's arch nemesis could go no farther? No matter what it may have been, Jane had trouble sleeping that night.

The silence continued for three more days. Jane stopped talking to him halfway through the second day; she thrust food at him and pointed towards his room at the end of the day. He was in a sulk now and Jane was perfectly happy to leave him on the couch to do just that. She gave him food, water, and left for the lab. He could fend for himself for a little while. If he did not like that it was all the better.

The fourth morning Jane woke up at four in the morning, suddenly wide awake. A bird started chirping outside her window and Jane wanted to murder the creature. Instead, she shuffled into the kitchen and stared at the coffee pot. There was no way in hell she was going to start her day this early. Instead, she heated up milk in a mug and curled up on one corner of her couch and stared into the darkness, sipping her drink slowly, hoping it would soothe her back towards sleep.

The uneven shuffling of feet startled her into staring at the dark hallway; Loki emerged, left hand braced against the wall. He started when he saw her, but came into the living room. He continued to brace himself on the wall, then the television stand. Loki paused before crossing the open space between the stand and the other couch corner. He settled into it, back straight, breathing fast and shallow.

Jane stared at him. She may also have glared at him. It was hard for her to tell without coffee this early. Given the lack of caffeine it was probably a very black look indeed.

He arched his eyebrow up at her. He said nothing.

Not only could Jane not do that but he was staring, looking superior and faintly mocking. "Why the hell are you awake now? And how dare you look at me like that. You've been silent and sulky for days while I gave you food and a roof over your head. You would've baked in the sun covered in your own puke! You're right. I should've just turned you into SHIELD."

"We both know you won't do that by now, don't we?" he said. His voice was a little sharp, but it ended sinuously. "You're in far too deeply aren't you, Jane Foster. You chose to help the villain. You have to live with those consequences. Can you stand them? Standing on the side of evil far enough that your so-claimed friends, the heroes, will shun you based on that single choice to help a broken man in the desert?"

Jane wanted to open her mouth to snap back retorts at him, but his questions slithered around in her head. Nothing he said was truly a question; he was telling her the fears that crawled through her own mind late at night. She had no idea what had possessed her to do what she did. There could not possibly be a good ending for her in this; she had housed and hidden him from his enemies, and he had powerful ones. Did she really think someone like him could really be under a spell? It was hardly plausible. It was far more likely he had duped her and that it would be her fault when he next unleashed his horrible army on the world.

Jane looked up, her eyes stung and blurred for a moment. Loki was looking off into the dark. His face was stark and haunted. Something in his expression made him seem as far away as another universe and just as remote. Lonely.

It was several moments before he spoke. He had lost his previous tones, now he simply sounded tired. "You should have called them, Lady Jane. One day I will be found, and there will be very little that I can do to shield you or myself."

"What, the mighty Loki is doomed? Aren't you supposed to be a master of magic or something?" Jane kept her voice steady, snapping.

"Such mastery means little with no magic and mine seems to be gone."

"What do you mean?" Jane was suddenly focused very much on her guest.

"At first, I thought it was because I was so injured. Now I can walk on my own, and still nothing. I have been more critically injured and always my magic was there. I feel like a blinded man," he told her in a breathy whisper.

"How can I believe you?"

"You hit Thor with a car twice, if I recall. He recovered remarkably well, did he not? I should have been able to help heal myself and vanish from this place already," he said. "Certainly, I could have found some place with more appetizing food."

"My food is perfectly edible!"

"There is a vast difference between edible and palatable."

"So you cook then."

"I never had the need to learn. You, however, should have."

"I survive fine on this stuff. Besides, I don't have time to cook," Jane said. Loki leveled a look at her. "I'm not some housewife from the 50s!"

Loki's eyes roamed over her form slowly. "No, you most certainly are not. I can't imagine you in pearls and a white frilled apron."

Jane felt warm under his eyes and laughed uneasily. "No, absolutely not."

"I apologize for my treatment towards you these past several days."

"Yeah, no kidding. You're kind of bipolar." Jane paused. "I guess I didn't help matters much either."

"Considering who you were facing off with you have quite a temper. And you are brave."

"Hard-headed."

"Are you going to start yelling again if I agree?"

"I guess not. So why are you up at four am?"

"I have slept the better part of four days. The real question is why you are awake."

Jane made a face. "Touchy subject. Want some warm milk? Coffee? A pop-tart?"

"You are drinking milk, yes? That would be fine. I hope that last was a joke."

Jane shrugged and went to make a second mug and refill her own. When she returned Loki had put the television on to the morning news.

"You know I've never liked the news."

"I don't care for it. Lots of mortal politics. It's very foolish," Loki said. "I have few options to occupy my time."

"I have books. I guess they're mostly science books though, at the lab. But the bookcase over there has some stuff in it. And I can't imagine all the things you can tell me about the realms."

"It is a sad day when I must admit that bookcase seems far away at the moment," Loki said. He paused for a long moment. "I will eventually try to tell you some of what I know."

As soon as Loki looked away, Jane knew her face fell. "There are things you just can't tell me, right? It's okay. Anything will be more than I already know. I need to go to the grocery store today. Is there anything you'd like?"

"Something other than pop-tarts and canned soup," Loki said. "I'm not picky."

Jane did not believe his anything for a moment. She was beginning to think Loki was extremely finicky about his food. She was not sure she could blame him though; he grew up a prince. She also had to get him some better clothes. A pair of too-big sweatpants was not going to work out well. But she would not think of that until after her coffee. For now, her milk and the hum of the news were just fine.

Jane fell asleep on the couch as the news droned on. She awoke to see Loki smirking at her. He looked far too amused and Jane felt a wave of embarrassment. She swiped at the corner of her mouth and confirmed her fears, fueling her embarrassment further. She had drooled and he had most definitely seen it.

"Say a single word and I won't buy anything but pop-tarts," she said, hoping her sleep-blurred eyes held a threat and not a haze.

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," he said, Loki's tone was every bit as good as a professional Texas hold'em's poker face.

But he was still smirking. Jane supposed it would have to do. Making coffee was the most appealing option to her at the moment so she got up and started a pot of the stuff. While she waited, Jane went to her bathroom and cleaned herself up. She stared in horror at her hair. One side was matted against her head, sticking up in strange, improbable shapes. She had worn a tank top to bed as well, and had gone into the living room with her pajamas with no bra. This morning was not starting out well at all.

It did improve greatly when Jane could smell the coffee brewing as she walked down the hall, now donned in a T-shirt, jeans, and bra. Jane smirked and brought breakfast out to the living room: coffee and pop-tarts. Loki narrowed his eyes at the package, and then leveled his green orbs on her.

It made Jane want to smirk; she fought the urge, unsure if she won the battle.

Loki ate without comment, his long legs stretched before him on the coffee table. The sweatpants were slung almost indecently low on his hips. The skin was bare there, pale and lean-muscled.

Jane jerked her eyes up and looked above Loki's head. "So I don't suppose you know what size you need in clothing here, do you? I mean, you need something other than a pair of gray sweatpants."

"European sizes, yes" he told her.

"Well, I can convert that to US sizes, or my laptop can anyway. One sec," she said and got up to retrieve the device, pop-tart still in hand.

When she returned, he told her his measurements and she wrote down the converted sizes. He had made no mention of undergarments. Jane did not dare ask. She was not sure whether or not she wanted to buy him any or not. She could hardly bear to think about it.

"Well, I'll pick up some stuff. Sweats are easy enough for right now, but when you're doing better, uh, what kinds of things do you like to wear, on earth?"

"That implies you are going to let me stay here for an extended period," Loki said.

"Where else are you going to go, Loki? You said it yourself. I'm already in this far."

Loki's shoulders slumped suddenly. "I don't know."

"Me either. So, clothes in the mean time."

He nodded and picked at his food. He reminded her of a lost little boy at that moment.

LJLJLJLJLJLJLJ

Everything about what Jane was doing right now was against her lab rules. The lab was for Jane to _work_ in, not look up ideas for meals that Jane might actually be able to prepare. A short while later, Jane was wondering why on earth most of the recipes were in the quick and easy category. There was no way she had the time, energy, or cooking skills to make most of it. There were a few, however, that she might just be able to manage. Hopefully.

Jane left the lab around one to make both her and Loki peanut butter sandwiches, ruffles, and milk. Loki ate half of a second sandwich, but Jane was beginning to suspect that sick or not Loki did not have nearly the appetite that _he_ did. But then Loki did not have nearly the same build either. His bearing was more reminiscent of nobility than a knight complete with shining armor.

After lunch, Jane spent a couple more hours in the lab, setting her phone alarm for four to make sure she went shopping before dinner time. Jane then spent more time in a grocery store than she had ever spent in her life. Her bill was also higher than usual. Jane had to remind herself that there was two people eating, and that it was probably better for her than her current ready-in-a-minute diet. And she had to buy a sauce pan.

It did not take two trips to bring in all of the bags, but Jane struggled to get them all to the kitchen. Jane did not even acknowledge Loki's greeting from the couch until she had set everything down.

"Hi," she said from the kitchen, waving through the open shutters that separated the kitchen and dining room.

"That looked heavy."

"It was. There wasn't any food here. I'm going to cook something tonight."

"That sounds like an excellent plan," Loki said.

"Nothing fancy though. It's just spaghetti and frozen meatballs," Jane said and sorted through the bags to start putting frozen things away.

"Perfect," Loki replied.

Jane glanced at him; he was making his slow way across the living room, his face set. There was very little to support him during his walk that would not lengthen his journey significantly. She continued putting groceries away, trying not to stare at him, or worse, hurry out to help him.

Loki lowered himself onto a dining room chair, sitting still and quiet. It was not until Jane finished her task that he spoke again, "I've never had spaghetti."

"What about pasta?"

"I can't say that I have."

"There is something wrong with your realm, Loki."

That earned her a smile and a chuckle. "Is that so?"

"Oh yes. I'm sorry that I'm a bad cook and am introducing you to pasta this way. It can be so, so good. My mom made it a lot. I think she was a pretty good cook. I remember she made her own sauce."

"And yours will not be?"

"Mine's Prego. Straight from the jar, but it says it's heart healthy."

Loki raised an eyebrow.

"I don't really know either. It just makes me feel better to think I'm improving my health."

"And yet you eat those packaged monstrosities."

"I never said it was logical," Jane said as she stared at her ingredients. Salad, pasta sauce, meatballs, spaghetti, a loaf of french bread, cheese, and garlic salt. How did one make that all finish at the same time?

"You are a strange scientist. Your studies are ruled by logic, are they not?"

"Along with astrophysics and a lot of what ifs." Jane decided the salad was a good place to start. It could sit in the fridge, minus the croutons. She dumped the bagged mix in a bowl, tore open the packet of cheese and sprinkled it on before drizzling on the packet of Caesar dressing. That was one problem solved.

"Magic is similar, I think, to your science," Loki told her.

"Thor," she said, the name coming out slowly, "said in Asgard they are one in the same." Jane had to remind herself to prep the bread so she could toast the cheese under the broiler in the oven, another thank you to the internet. She worked slowly, though, not wanting to miss a thing Loki said.

"His understanding is... elementary, to say the least. But it is somewhat correct, from what I understand of mortal science." Loki closed his eyes for a moment and tapped the side of his nose with his left index finger. "Physics is the science field that deals with force, correct? Magic can be thought of as a type of force, from within. That within can be inside a person, an object, any number of things can exert magic force."

Jane came out of the kitchen, dinner preparations forgotten. "I think that is the single most logical statement I have ever heard about magic. But according to physics magic _can't_ exist. It deals with conjuring things out of nothing and breaking the unbreakable rules of physics."

"Lady Jane, I do believe I will resume this conversation only once you have served dinner. I am quite hungry," he said gently, but he was smiling in a way she had not seen before.

It seemed like agony then to get the pasta water to boil, to heat the pasta sauce and meatballs up. Setting the table helped pass the time while she waited, and she even poured them each a glass of wine, but still time could not pass quickly enough. Until it came to the cheesy bread. It came out a little too toasty, but Jane thought it looked edible enough. Everything eventually made it to the table, including the croutons for the salad.

Though she encouraged Loki to help himself, he insisted he play the gentleman and allow her to serve herself before he took pasta and covered it with red sauce as she did. Belatedly she realized she had been the rude one; Loki had never had spaghetti; her actions showed him what to do with the stuff.

Jane took a slice of cheesy bread and put it on the side of her plate before she very carefully spun her fork through the mess and took a bite, slurping a bit at the end of it as several strands of spaghetti trailed behind. "So?"

Loki intently spun his fork, his eyes narrowing slightly as the pasta fell away. He tried again with similar results. The third time he managed a small, sloppy bite, looking entirely displeased, especially when it fell apart before he could take the bite.

"Oh! That's right. I forgot," Jane said and got two spoons. "I've been eating pasta all my life. I learned how to spin it with a spoon. It's not the easiest dish to eat, but it's worth it."

Jane demonstrated the spoon technique before handing one to Loki. He took it slowly. "I do not enjoy feeling bested by my food."

"Cooking it nearly bested me, so we're even. So, magic?"

Loki managed a bite this time. "This is much better than soup." He took a sip of wine. "Alright, I did say I would continue. It has been some time since I have had anything to do with mortal science. Even then, I knew only generalizations about it, so I apologize that I cannot examine it in relation to magic as well as you would like. I do recall that science does not, precisely, have rules, correct?"

"Yes, that's right. We have theories. Theories, the kind that make up the backbone of physics, are hypotheses, that is, falsifiable questions about science that have been tested and re-tested so thoroughly that they are considered valid explanations for the phenomena in question. So in the case of gravity every time there is a gravitational force exerted on an object it is pulled closer at a fixed rate of acceleration."

Loki nodded. "Your explanation works quite well for me. I am glad it remains an open system. I have a series of statements for you. First, mortals have not been to other realms. Second, Midgard is nearly entirely without any magical energy. Third, magic does not conjure something out of nothing." With each statement he numbered them off with his fingers.

"You're saying the basis of physics is wrong," Jane said, unbelieving.

"I don't believe it's wrong. It appears to be a fairly accurate way to represent the system on Midgard, where a particular force is largely absent. In many situations magic does not need to be applied or is simply another variant to consider, like wind blowing a thrown ball off course."

"A variable. That would be a variable," Jane said, her mind wondering just how many things she was missing in astrophysics because of the lack of a crucial variable. "My work... astrophysics, studying Einstein-Rosen bridges, that is Asgard's rainbow bridge. I can't get it right without measuring and adding in magic, can I?"

"That is true."

"You've referred to magic as energy and as force, but it's still something different, isn't it? But it has components of both, they're different parts of it, right?"

Loki nodded. "Yes. It is far more complicated than that, however. Measuring magic is not an easy matter, nor is harnessing it."

Jane's face fell. "Midgard has no magic. I can theorize until I'm blue in the face and I won't be able to prove anything."

"That may not be true either," Loki told her. His brows furrowed thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should delve more deeply into the mortal sciences. "Where is your lab located?"

"Not far at all. I walk there all the time."

"You will have to take me there and tell me of your research. It makes me quite curious how a mortal woman was able to come up with ideas linked to something like the Bifrost. You mortals have come much farther than even I realized."

Loki drifted off, staring at his plate, but Jane doubted he saw the food at all. His left hand drifted up to cup his right shoulder, rubbing it gently. Jane remembered hearing about his fight with the giant green thing and Iron Man. She knew he had encountered Captain America as well, which encompassed the super hero aspects of the Avengers, and the mysterious man with the crossbow and a woman that Jane still knew nothing about apart from her ability to pull off more tight leather than any person should be able to. Did Loki regret not realizing how formidable those few people on Earth had become? The thought sent a shiver through her. He had played such a strange game throughout that fight and Jane could not begin to understand it. Why did she involve herself in all of this?

Loki startled her out of her musing when he spoke again, "You did not finish putting away your food stores?"

Jane glanced at the bags sitting by the far wall and then at him. She doubted Loki thought they were groceries. "They're clothes. For you. If something doesn't fit or you don't like it don't take the tags off because I can return them. You never did tell me what you like to wear. They're nothing great, but anything will be better than those sweatpants."

"I thank you, Lady Jane," Loki said, inclining his head in her direction. "For your hospitality and this meal. I enjoyed trying a new dish and would not be opposed to having it again."

"It wasn't too bad, was it?" Jane said thoughtfully. "It's been awhile since I've had more than myself to cook for. I'll bring the other bags to your room for you to look through and then I think I'm going to head to the lab for a bit. A lot of astrophysics needs to be done at night. If you need me..."

"Yes, yes, the telephone," Loki said and waved his arm at her. "You have told-and demonstrated for-me a number of times."

"Okay, how was I supposed to know you've used a cell phone fancier than I've ever had before?"

"I would have thought my ability to use a television would be some indication that I am familiar with this realm in its current age."

"Thor said you ride horses to get around, so, you know."

Loki shook his head. "You might do well to think of the why instead of the what in that instance. Remember, the Bifrost belongs to that realm as well." He began talking again as soon as Jane opened her mouth, interrupting her before she even began. "Not tonight, you have work to do in your laboratory."

At that moment Jane wanted nothing more than to cross her arms and stick her lip out in her best imitation of a five year old. If it would have given her answers she might well have but she was certain that was fruitless tonight. Instead, Jane put the dishes in the sink, musing that Loki had never once so much as slurped or spilled a drop of spaghetti sauce. He really did have good mangers. Jane deposited the clothes before going to the lab. Hopefully, she would be able to sleep late in the morning.

JLJLJLJLJLJLJLJL

_Several days earlier_

_Thor appeared on the end of the Bifrost, one hand gripping Mjollnir, the other hand out-stretched as if he was gripping something. That hand was empty. Heimdall was facing him, nearly Thor said words he had planned before using the Tesseract to travel to Asgard, _I return victorious_, but horror washed over him._

_Heimdall met his eyes. "Loki has escaped. How has this happened?"_

_"He was bound and gagged with our strongest enchantments!" Thor said, "The tesseract-"_

_Heimdall cast his eyes out into the universe._

_"Can you see him, Heimdall?"_

_The guardian's impassive face was still for some minutes before he spoke. "I saw Loki briefly. He was lying in the desert of Midgard. Then he vanished from my sight. Jane approaches him."_

_"No, that can't be. How is this possible? Heimdall, are you sure?"_

_"I see truly as I ever have, prince."_

_"I must go to her, there must be a way!""_

_"You must report to the All-father immediately."_

_Thor swung his mighty hammer and took to the air, flying to the palace as fast as he could manage._

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_S_o I really want a new title for this story. I don't care for the title at all, it doesn't relate well, I think. I'm horrible at titles and usually don't settle on one til most of the way through a story, unfortunately. Any ideas? If any blows me away I'll write a short one-shot over something that person so wishes.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for the big delay in putting this up. I ended up doing a lot of thinking with the story and where I wanted it to go, and about Loki. Loki got very stubborn and, well, did exactly what he wanted to do. It let to getting rid of the writing I had done on chapter 6 and 7, and adding about 1000 words to this chapter, but I like where I have it going now much more, and I hope you guys will as well.

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

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**Chapter 5**

Loki had left the clothing he did not want folded neatly in two bags outside his room. The contents of the top of the bag had Jane blushing and she was nearly positive that he had put it in easy sight on purpose. Loki did not wear briefs, boxers, or boxer-briefs. The proof haunted her thoughts as she drifted into the rest of the house, depositing the clothing bags by the door and the fact that it did lingered heavily in her thoughts.

She was pouring herself a cup of steaming coffee, the rich aroma guiding her movements before she realized she had not made any. Her new roommate had. There were some advantages to having him around after all, and having coffee waiting for her when she awoke was no small thing.

That, however, meant Loki was up. Of course, it was also noon so that was not exactly a surprise. Jane turned around and peered out to the living room. Loki was wearing that damn amused smirk. He waved his hand in greeting. Jane clutched her cup and made her way to the other room.

"Good afternoon, again."

Well, that explained the look. For the most part, Jane was fairly useless before her coffee. "You're smirking."

"You're really not a morning person," he said. He was sprawled out on the couch, a couple of pillows beneath his right calf and his hair fell around his face, waving gently, softening his features.

"You made coffee."

"That, I am afraid, is the extent of my culinary skills."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you can make coffee. I can't imagine you chopping vegetables," Jane said. "So is that a polite way of telling me that you're hungry without nagging me about it?"

"What answer would best lead to a meal?"

Jane laughed, a smile lifted her cheeks. In answer, Jane held up her cup of coffee. "I really, really like you right now. Do you like eggs?"

The smile that lit up his face dazzled Jane, short-lived though it was. "I do."

Jane nodded and headed back into the kitchen. It was time to try out one of the recipes she had looked up the day before. She was hoping that the hardest part would be pulling the ingredients out of the fridge. As she spread out a refrigerated crust onto a pan, Loki made his way to the kitchen table carrying his coffee cup. He had a marked limp, but he no longer needed to hold on to anything for support and made quick progress compared to the night before. There were some definite perks to being Asgardian.

Once the crust was in the oven Jane started frying some bacon and watched him. He wore dark jeans and a gray and black button-down shirt. "You're looking a lot better."

Loki scowled and slid into a chair. "Oh yes, a vast improvement. I am a weakling. That _you_ could likely overpower me right now is not a reassuring thought."

"I don't think you really believe that," Jane said, her voice pointed, but it held no malice. "Not when you half-strangled me when you first woke up here."

He passed a hand over his eyes, almost as if he wished to block his sight. "I bruised you. That was unforgiveable."

She had hoped he had not noticed that, especially since the mark faded within a day or two. "So, do you want to see my lab today? We could take the van there."

"I would like that. You will have to explain your theories to me in greater depth. They are very intriguing."

Jane soon took the crust out of the oven and topped it with egg, bacon, and cheese and popped it back in. With any luck, pizza for breakfast would taste as good as it sounded. "Alright. But over breakfast you have to tell me more. You must have seen so many different things..."

Loki stared into his coffee cup for a long while as Jane set the table. "I will tell you a little, I suppose. I believe you would find Asgard to be fascinating, and, perhaps, a very confusing place as well. Have you a pen and paper?"

"Lots of both, just a second." Jane went off in search, only to return at a run with the supplies as her oven chimed over and over again. She thrust the stuff at him and turned her timer off before pulling the pizza out. Thankfully, it looked remarkably similar to the recipe's picture. Loki hid a smile and refrained from laughing, which Jane assumed was because he wanted to get something to eat.

While Loki sketched Jane served up slices for the both of them. Once she sat down, Loki looked at her. "Alright, this is a rough sketch of Asgard, as one would see from space.

Jane knew her eyes had to be bugging out of her head. "That is in no way anything close to a sphere."

"Asgard is not a planet and much smaller than Midgard. I believe it is quite likely a fragment of a planet and every inch is steeped in magic. It is an extraordinary place, a pale blue sky only barely veils the glimmering stars behind it, and when that veil thins at the edges of the world the stars shine so brightly that they catch on the ripples of the sea, providing light to see by easily. This dark sea surrounds Asgard, and it falls off the edge of the world to be embraced by the stars in an endless waterfall that even yet is drawn back into Asgard.

"But such strange imagery holds but a faint candle to the land itself. For beyond the rippling colors of the Bifrost is such a land of lush forests full of ancient secrets that gives way to towers built by giants that gleam golden, piercing ever upwards, full of a majesty earth has not yet come close to replicating."

Jane was Loki's rapt audience. She ate her food mechanically and peppered him with questions about how such a place could exist. Her companion enjoyed the attention and quickly, his hands joined in his explanations, moving fluidly, always enhancing his tale.

There were slight pauses occasionally, Jane soon noticed, when he would make particular hand movements that did not quite fit the explanations. She was almost positive that would have been where he showed off his magic. He covered them well, though. As he paused to take another slice of pizza and Jane refilled their coffee mugs she remembered hearing that the Norse god Loki was supposed to have a silver tongue. She believed it, enthralled as she was by his words.

After breakfast, Jane took Loki to her laboratory. He stopped a short distance inside and slowly gazed around the room, his hands on his hips. She led him to her main work station and pointed him toward a chair as she plopped into one.

"So, this is where I spend most of my time. I used to live in a trailer in the parking lot here. Then, I really spent a lot of time here. For awhile, I had an assistant, Darcy. My mentor, Erik too, but they're involved with other things now. Darcy's doing something with political science at college, and Erik got involved with SHIELD and the tes-" Jane broke off abruptly.

Loki nodded stiffly.

Jane could only stare at him. Somehow, she had managed to ignore the terrible, horrible truth of what was sitting before her. Loki was the man who had controlled Erik, he had made him do terrible things. She knew she believed there was some sort of spell on Loki but how could she reconcile the man before her and that monster? In the end, she had only Loki's own hints that such a thing existed, that the man before her was not responsible for the horrors of New York. The words left her mouth before she could stop them. "You brainwashed Erik. You made him do horrible things. If he had not fought so much we would all be dead, because he built a damn off switch!"

Loki pulled himself up to his full height and sneered down at her. "And what does the life of a mere mortal mean to _me_?" His eyes glinted. "Human lives flicker on and off constantly. I have lived through countless generations of you fools. That a god such as I would deem to rule this planet, to allow such foolish creatures to worship—"

Jane was out of her seat before she could think. Her hand stung with the force she had slapped Loki with. For a moment, he set such a cold, lethal look on her that Jane shivered and backed away until she hit the edge of a table. He took two steps forward, quickly, his limp vanished.

All at once, he pulled away from her and sunk into a chair, breathing raggedly, his head in his hands; his hair fell forward, shielding him from view.

Jane felt her anger melt away. This was why she could not match the man Erik described, that the world knew; he seemed to be nothing like the man before her now. "Oh Loki," she said softly. Hesitantly, she set her hand on his back and rubbed it lightly.

For several minutes, he did not move, even once his breathing evened out. When he finally did, his voice was quiet and full of regret. "I am sorry, Jane Foster. I truly do wonder if in truth I am simply crazy. I am not a good person for anyone to be around, much less a mortal."

"I'm pretty sure handing you over to SHIELD wouldn't help," Jane said. "There has to be some way that I can help you."

"I wish it were possible," Loki said into his hands before he finally lowered them. He did not straighten up, however. "Perhaps, for now, you might tell me what all of the equipment in your lab is for."

Jane withdrew her hand, and then Loki did sit up, straightening with a wince. He crossed his arms, but Jane was certain his previous position had not been good for his ribs. She chose not to comment, however, and instead walked over to an intricate machine that looked like it was held together by duct tape and a wish because it was. "Alright, let's start here. I know this stuff doesn't look like much, but I've built most of it from scratch and it does job. There are not exactly a lot of equipment and the like to monitor Einstein-Rosen bridges with."

"You mean that you invented most of this," Loki said. "That is quite impressive for a mortal."

He sounded so earnest that Jane had to smile, even if it ended in what sounded like a snub. "Yeah, I guess I did. That is kind of cool, huh? Anyway, I'll tell you the overview of this stuff and then we can get into what it all means."

So Jane talked and tried to remember to keep the explanations simple, tried to remember that Loki had not ever studied astrophysics. The problem was that it was very hard to remember that. He understood nothing of the math, but every explanation, every drop of information she gave him he seemed to absorb and build on instantly and asked questions constantly, good questions.

Jane soon came to the conclusion that Loki was more than intelligent. He was probably some sort of genius on an Einstein sort of level. For a moment, the thought amused her, but she sobered quickly at the thought of evil geniuses.

But the part that astounded her the most that afternoon was that Loki seemed just as interested as she did. He seemed to have little trouble disregarding the existence of magic as they discussed her views of science, if only for the sake of academia.

It was only when her throat became scratchy that she realized that not only had she done no work that day but that it was much later than she thought it was. Dinner time had come and gone.

Belatedly, Jane thought of her guest. "So, I bet you're hungry, huh?"

"What?" Loki blinked. "Oh, yes, I suppose I am. It is late, isn't it?"

"Yeah, sorry," she said. "I have a bad habit of getting caught up in this stuff."

"I found this an extremely engaging subject. I would enjoy learning more about your work."

Jane grinned; it was rare anyone said those words to her, much less earnestly. "I'm glad. I guess I should take you back and make some food."

"I suppose so," Loki said.

Was he regretful that they were leaving? He certainly did not seem to mind that they had spent hours talking astrophysics. It was terribly wrong of her to want to feel so friendly towards him, but they were talking about scientific theories that could possibly lead to traveling across the universe. "Don't encourage me to stay, or you will never leave and never, ever get any dinner."

Loki paused thoughtfully. "If you are planning on serving pop-tarts perhaps I should encourage you."

"Well, no," Jane said. "I, um, kind of felt guilty about the bad food, so, uh, I got some chicken. But it's late... It'll take at least half an hour to make..."

"I will wait," Loki said. "I am beginning to see why you eat poorly."

"I'm really not that bad! It's just that cooking takes so long and by the time I'm back from the lab I'm so tired and it's just easier..."

"Ah, you are too tired then, I understand."

Loki's expression was neutral, but it had fallen just slightly; enough for Jane to see his disappointment. "No, it's okay. It's probably good for both of us to have better food. Let's go so I can get started."

What on earth was she thinking? She was feeling sorry for _Loki_ who had done a huge list of terrible things all because he did not like canned soup. The whole situation was beyond surreal and Jane had no idea what to do with the Asgardian.

LJLJLJLJLJ

Loki shut the door to his room and limped to his room. He sat on the edge of the bed and let out a long sigh. His current situation was absurd. He was what, playing house with some mortal? But she was not even just some mortal. She was Jane Foster, astrophysicist obsessed with space travel, and Thor's favorite mortal.

It was true that he needed to finish healing, but to accept clothing from the woman from some store called Wal-mart that had horrendous quality was another thing altogether.

Loki carefully unbuttoned and removed his shirt, then undid his pants and slid them off. With distaste he eyed the... what were they called? Jeans. Jane had not offered him anything remotely appealing, and if he never saw jeans again he would be a happier man. Except it was jeans tomorrow or the far worse category of sweats. Thankfully, anything resembling sweats, and what an atrocious term for an article of clothing, had been placed in the bag to return and never be seen again. What he would not give for silk lounging pants and a proper tunic for his convalescence, and proper leather pants as he had back ho-. No. He had nothing back on Asgard. He could supply such things with his magic only, and yet his magic was weak and he needed it to heal; to reserve for more dire situations. It unfortunately left him stuck with _jeans_.

An unbidden thought slipped to the front of his mind; a memory of Jane bending over, jeans stretched tight. Loki's mouth twitched and he lay back in bed. Perhaps there we uses for them then, even if he should not be entertaining such thoughts about anyone, particularly not about a mortal Thor had made claims on. But since when did such things stop him from making a conquest?

But that was foolish thinking. The moment that damned recording device had hit his head he had lost any chance at freedom. He was well-shielded now, but it would be far too late to...

To do what? Loki stared at the ceiling for a long moment. He always knew the answer, the next step, hell he had always known the next ten steps. Everything had fallen apart, so long ago, long before he had begun to realize he was no longer the one in control. And then he had snapped and all of his control was gone. _He_ had nearly been gone. Only... he had been so glad to finally be captured. It had been over.

That was not right. He wanted the Tesseract, the power to make Odin, Thor, the world bow before him in fear and awe. He was born to be a king; to rule.

Loki closed his eyes, furrowing his brow deeply, feeling a strange wave of faint dizziness sweep over him. He would never forgive that dark one, the one whose name he feared to even think. His thoughts were not his own, muddled. He did know several very important pieces of information. The Tesseract had taken both he and Thor from Midgard to Asgard. He had somehow returned to Midgard, but Thor had not. Nor had the Tesseract. Whether Thor was on Asgard or de… lost in space the Tesseract was not on Asgard. What had happened?

His desires must have been stronger than Thor's. He had not wanted to face punishment for his crimes; to return to Asgard and see those liars who wore friendly masks. But Thor was weak; he would not want to see his "brother" suffer. The Tesseract had a sort of sentience to it. It listened.

It could be on Midgard.

Loki smiled darkly and glanced at the door. He had just the person to help him. It had taken all of a suggestion of truth, assumptions the mortal desperately wanted to make. A reassuring lie or two… He had read about legends of himself. Loki, god of mischief and lies, blessed with a silver tongue.

Grimly, he glanced at his door to make sure it was shut fast. Then, Loki began his nightly round of healing, hands glowing faintly blue in the dark. How he hated hiding his magic, but he would play at this charade with Jane. It was easy enough, for him.

Any guilt he might feel for his deception was wiped easily away by his desire.

* * *

Well, what did you guys think? Did you like having Loki's POV at the end? How did Loki come off to you? I'm really curious because there's several things going on with the story and I want to know how it came across to the readers.

Also, there may me a title change soon, so I'll try to warn you guys first with what it will be as well before it goes into effect. I'm thinking about several options. _The Fall. A Liar's Truth. _or keeping it _An Unexpected Twist_. What do you all think?


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